Battle of Souls
by Mitchell J. Swanson
Summary: What if Naruto was the reincarnation of not only Ashura, but Indra as well? How do things change then? A smart, powerful, and determined Naruto tries to find a balance for the two souls inside him that battle for dominance.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do **Not** own Naruto!

Battle of Souls

The sandaime hokage sat in his office with his head in his hands. It had been another long day of dealing with mountains of paperwork and his advisors. He almost regretted retaking the post after Minato died. Perhaps the only reason he didn't, was because Danzo would've become the village's leader. Hiruzen shuddered at the thought of what Konoha may have become under the old war hawk's guidance. Danzo Shimura was a perfect example of the darkness present in the shinobi world. Were Danzo hokage, the Hidden Leaf would currently resemble an oppressive military dictatorship. The Village Hidden in the Leaves was a military run village, but it was supported by a large number of civilians. An overbearing rule would not be to their benefit.

With all that, Hiruzen Sarutobi did not truly regret resuming duties as the hokage. He was an old man and could not do the job as well as he did in his younger days, but it was better than letting someone as ruthless as Danzo run things. Still some things worried the Professor. Number one on that list was the four year old Naruto Uzumaki. The boy was a prime example of Hiruzen not being able to do all he could. If he had more energy, he'd see that Naruto was looked after properly. Instead, Hiruzen had been forced to stick the boy in an orphanage.

As the village jinchuriki, Naruto was hated by nearly everyone. The kyuubi attack four years ago had caused massive amounts of damage and almost all had lost someone dear to them. Even the hokage lost his wife that day, but unlike most he didn't harbor any hard feelings towards the boy. It wasn't like it was Naruto's fault. Hiruzen feared that the villagers would influence their children and cause them to hate Naruto. As things were, Naruto was already having a hard time making friends with anyone. He may not have had a lot of time, but occasionally Hiruzen sent his ANBU to watch Naruto and the reports he received disturbed him.

There wasn't any physical abuse, at least not that the hokage was aware of, but the mental attacks directed toward Naruto were bad enough. It was hard for Hiruzen to understand how people could be so cruel to such a young child and coming from a ninja as old as he, that was saying something. Going through life as a shinobi, one was witness to how dark the world was. Maybe he was just a naturally compassionate man.

The hokage wanted to believe in the good of humanity, especially within his own village. A village that he would give his life for in a heartbeat, but knew it was nothing more than naivety. Naruto's time to experience hatred had come sooner than most. Hopefully the boy could overcome it and forgive the village.

With a sigh to try and relieve some stress and frustration, he turned around in his chair to gaze out the window. Even though it was night, the stars lit up the village and he could see all the way to the main gate. He spotted many shinobi racing across rooftops, going either to or from their designated posts. Or perhaps they were just out and about. Nightfall belonged to ninja and it was when they came alive.

The aged kage let his thoughts wander over the day he'd just had. It was like every other day. He was forced to deal with the never ending paperwork, council meetings, and the always persistent nuisance that were the village elders. Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane constantly got on Hiruzen's case about everything. Apparently they took their roles as advisors to mean that they could demand things from him. It was partially his fault as he no longer had the will to deal with them like he should. Today, the two had "advised" him to start Naruto's training. To those versed in subtly, their advice came out as an order. Hiruzen was not a young man and had allowed them some leeway in their roles because he didn't really have the energy or will to make them back down, but this was taking things too far. He channelled as much killer intent as possible towards them and reminded the two that he was in charge. It would only keep Koharu and Homura off of his back for a couple weeks at most, but it was enough for now. The sandaime absolutely refused to let Naruto begin training this early. He couldn't give the boy much, but Hiruzen would allow Naruto to have a childhood. It may not have been the best, well it definitely wasn't the best, but the life of a shinobi was worse.

Oddly enough, Danzo was silent during the debate to start Naruto's training. It caused Hiruzen to be suspicious of his friend. For the past four years, the ROOT leader had been asking to take the boy and train him when he was old enough. The hokage refused of course. Danzo's desire to become the hokage would have outweighed his loyalty to Hiruzen if he'd been allowed to train Naruto. The boy would've become Danzo's personal weapon. So for the man to say nothing when the topic of Naruto's training came up, it definitely made the hokage even more wary of him.

Other than training the village's jinchuriki, the civilian side of the council tried to have laws passed that specifically targeted Naruto. Such as a law that would give a business owner the right to refuse service to any orphan and to punish any that caused trouble. Almost no one in the village had problems with orphans because they were typically children of ninja that had sacrificed their lives to protect them. Like Naruto, who was the son of the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze and his wife Kushina Uzumaki-Namikaze. Although nobody knew that as it would have put Naruto in even more danger. It was obvious to all present that this proposal was only going to be enforced on the young jinchuriki. It was a really stupid thing for the civilan council to bring up. Had they known what was discussed in the shinobi council meeting then maybe they would have waited to broach the subject, but because no one that wasn't a ninja was allowed into the shinobi council chambers during a meeting, they had no clue it would set the hokage off. The sandaime's killer intent suffocated everyone in the room. He smacked down their biased laws so fast that it was clear to all, if they were dumb enough to comment on the possibility of accepting the civilian's proposal then it would not end well for them.

Just thinking about the idiots he was surrounded by gave Hiruzen a headache. Since Minato's death, Konoha was slowly becoming a place he didn't recognize. It was less of a shinobi village then it was only a few years ago and even less when the hokage was young. Hiruzen realized if he didn't start to act more like the hokage he used to be then Konohagakure would no longer be a ninja run village. He vowed silently to himself to start tomorrow. The first thing to do, would be to go through all of the laws passed since the fourth hokage's death and check for any that benefitted a select few. Even if it took years, he'd root out all corruption. Most importantly, the hokage had to find a worthy successor. Preferably, either Jiraiya or Tsunade would be the best option, but Jiraiya had a spy organization to run and the last Senju abandoned Konoha and refused to return. She'd lost too much and it weighed heavily on her and even more so inside the village. The only other real choice would be Kakashi Hatake, but he was still young and needed more experience. Hopefully Tsunade could be made to see sense and came back.

There was so much to do and not much time. Hiruzen Sarutobi was not getting any younger, so things had to change soon. Looking out over the village, the sandaime noticed it was quiet. It was eerie. No sound could be heard. Not a footstep. Not a cricket. Not even the rustling of leaves. There wasn't even any wind. It reminded the old man of the calm before a deadly storm.

Suddenly an oppressive power filled the air. It could be felt throughout the entire village. The feeling brought back memories of the kyuubi attack. Not only was it powerful, but it filled the hokage with dread. Whatever it was felt almost sinister. The hokage quickly pulled off his robes and grabbed the bo staff he kept in a sealing scroll that was stored in his desk. As soon as he had the staff, he rushed to the window and opened it. Before he could get out of his office, several ANBU popped out from where they were hiding. They all appeared to be quite shaken. It was understandable. Most of them had fought against the nine tailed fox during the attack four years ago. They probably thought they'd have to do so again. Not waiting for any questions they undoubtedly wanted to ask the hokage said, "follow me!"

Running over the rooftops as fast as he could, the hokage and the accompanying ANBU got closer and closer to the source of the oppressive power. Hiruzen heard a couple of his bodyguards struggling to breathe. If any shinobi below the rank of jonin were in the area, it wouldn't have surprised the sandaime to find them unconscious.

Once it got unbearable for most of the ANBU, the hokage stopped and ordered most of them to set up a perimeter and secure the area. The only ones who seemed to be able to withstand whatever was causing the disturbance other than himself were the two shinobi wearing a crow mask and another with a dog mask. With crow and dog following, he jumped down to the street and pressed on.

Multiple trash cans that were tipped over and several unconscious bodies indicated the source of the power was coming from an alley ahead. They made their way to the alley quickly and got ready for a tough fight. What they found, shocked the three of them. The cause of all the power was a child. As the hokage stepped closer, he was absolutely shocked to see it wasn't just any kid, it was Naruto. The power was not killer intent. It was chakra. The child was radiating pure chakra and it alone was overwhelming and oppressive. Something must've happened to cause the kid's chakra to be disrupted. You didn't need to be a sensor to sense the child's presence. Civilians were probably cowering in their homes worried about another attack from the kyuubi.

Hiruzen couldn't see the boy's face because he was on his knees with his shoulders slumped forward and his head facing the ground, but that bright spikey golden blond hair gave him away. Only Naruto and his father possessed hair like that. The hokage saw that Naruto's clothes were bloody and torn. There were a few cuts and bruises on the boy, but not enough to account for all of the blood. Sarutobi looked around at the people that were on the ground to see if any of them were bleeding, but saw nothing and once he made sure they weren't dead, turned back to Naruto. The hokage suspected the kyuubi was already healing Naruto, but Hiruzen could tell that none of the chakra pouring from the boy was the fox's. He wasn't a sensor, but anyone could tell the difference between kyuubi chakra and non-kyuubi chakra.

Either Naruto had heard them or he sensed their presence because he looked up and right at them. If finding Naruto to be the source of the oppressive power then when they saw his red eyes with two tomoe each, stopped all thoughts running through their minds. All three veteran shinobi just stared at the blond boy with their mouths hanging open. Although it wasn't apparent with the ANBU wearing their masks. Even if their brains were working properly, they still would have been speechless.

When their brains turned back on, a million questions began firing around inside their heads, but the one that came up the most was: how the hell did Naruto have the sharingan? It was impossible. Neither of his parents were Uchiha. Kushina was a full on Uzumaki. She may have had some Senju blood, but only because the two clans were family. And Minato was a Namikaze. A small shinobi clan that originated in Nami no Kuni, but moved to Fire Country when Konohagakure was first established. In fact they were the only shinobi clan The Land of Waves ever had. The Uchiha clan never mated outside of the clan, but even if they did, it would never be with the Uzumaki clan because they were related to the Senju. The Namikaze clan was too small and would not have made them more powerful. They had no extraordinary ninja until Minato.

No, it must have been something else. But what? Had Kushina been unable to have children? Did they need an egg donation from someone? The fiery red head was close friends with Mikoto Uchiha. Had she secretly helped them? If the rest of the Uchiha found out, they would have definitely been against it. Things most likely would've gotten violent. So it made sense if it did happen, it was in secret. There was no way Naruto wasn't Minato's son. They looked way too much alike not to be. In the end, the hokage and ANBU just didn't know. The three could stand there all night and ask themselves questions, but it would amount to nothing and Naruto needed help.

"Dog, I'm sure other shinobi will be drawn to the area. Go and make sure no one gets close enough to see Naruto," the third hokage ordered the ninja in the dog mask. The ANBU did not hesitate following the sandaime's order and body flickered to the roof of a nearby building and set off. It would not do Naruto any good if everyone knew he was the one causing all the trouble. They would only claim he was being influenced by the nine tails and hate him more than they already did.

Moving slowly, Hiruzen approached Naruto to try and calm him down. The boy was still pushing chakra outward and it was still scaring everyone. "Naruto," the sandaime said trying to get the child's attention.

Naruto focused on the hokage and prepared to defend himself as best he could. He recognized the two in front of him as shinobi and knew he was helpless against them, but wouldn't go down without trying to fight. The blond couldn't even protect himself against civilians and got lucky that they all passed out for some reason. Even if he was strong enough to put up some sort of resistance, Naruto was starting to feel tired. He thought that he'd pass out like the others had in a few moments.

"I'm here to help you," Hiruzen stated as softly as he could. He was trying to be reassuring, but wasn't sure he could really pull that off.

"Who are you," Naruto asked distrustfully. Why would this man want to help him? Nobody liked Naruto. The boy didn't know why. But it was painful to be looked at like he was a monster. The men that had cornered him in the alley were proof that no one cared about him. It was getting harder to stay awake, but he refused to give in so easily. He didn't want to make it easy for anyone to finish him off. And he wasn't just going to trust the man because he said he would help.

"I'm the hokage. Do you know what the hokage is," Hiruzen replied. He saw the boy was exhausted and wanted to get this over with so Naruto could get some rest.

"The hokage is the village leader. Right? Are you really going to help me," Naruto inquired hopefully. He heard all about what a great shinobi the third hokage was and not just that, but the man was known as kind. Would he actually help Naruto or treat him as all others had?

"That's right. I'm the village leader. And yes I'm really going to help you. But could you do me a favor first and calm yourself down," the hokage asked in a calming tone.

*Calm down?* Naruto thought. What was the old man talking about? Naruto didn't feel worked up or anything. He didn't feel exactly calm either. He was really tired, but that was it, nothing else. Except now that he was searching for another feeling, there was something that seemed off. Now that he noticed, it was kind of hard focus on anything else. There was a sense of fear and hate. Was that coming from him? Naruto took a deep breath and focused on pushing those feelings down.

As soon as Naruto gained control of his self, the chakra and the feelings it brought disappeared. Immediately, Hiruzen and the remaining ANBU felt relieved. Just because they'd been able to stand in Naruto's presence didn't mean they weren't effected by the chakra. Now that it was gone, they could stand up straight and focus more on their surroundings and not just Naruto. Getting a better look around at the scene, Hiruzen noticed that most of the civilians that cornered Naruto had some sort of weapon. Be it a pocket knife or a glass bottle. It was obvious by the smell, many of them were drunk. Many, but not all. He was at least glad to see none of his shinobi. They may have disliked the boy or even outright hated him, but they knew better than to do anything like this.

"Crow! Take these men to Inoichi. Tell him whatever he sees, he is to say nothing to anyone. Not even Ibiki. Anything he finds about this incident is to be erased from their minds. After you're done with that, gather Dog and meet me at my clan's compound. Go," the sandaime declared.

The ANBU ninja disappeared in a swirl of leaves. After the masked shinobi left, Hiruzen picked up Naruto, who put up no resistance surprisingly enough, and took off with his own body flicker.

He made it to his home with Naruto in no time. By the time he entered his house holding Naruto, the boy was asleep. It seemed as if everyone was in bed. They must've been sleeping when Naruto's chakra went out of control. How they all slept through it was a mystery to him. Besides Hiruzen, his second son lived here with his pregnant wife. The Sarutobi compound was designed with elegance in a traditional Japanese feel. The house was surrounded by expansive gardens that had flowers and plants from all over the Elemental Nations. In the back, a couple of training fields were often where the occupants of the home trained. It was private and convenient because they had no need to leave the compound to hone their skills. The home itself had steeped black tile roof, wooden walls painted light brown, and sliding doors made of a special paper called washi. The inside held the layout of an ordinary house with rooms such as bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchens, etc. It was two stories tall, three if you counted the basement which was a library filled with all kinds of jutsu.

The hokage quickly took Naruto to a guest room on the second floor and then went to his personal study to wait for Crow and Dog. After sitting down he pulled out a bottle of saki and a saucer. It had been a long day, but that was nothing compared to all that had transpired on this night. He still could not believe it. Naruto had the sharingan! How was that possible?! Not just that, but the power Naruto possessed was insane! It was more than most adult shinobi could ever hope to achieve. And the boy was only four!

To find Naruto beaten and bloody in an alley brought shame to the old man. He was supposed to protect the boy and he'd failed. It was yet another thing he would have to fix.

Hiruzen Sarutobi now knew it was naive to think Naruto could have a normal childhood. He would have to start the boy's training as soon as Naruto was fully recovered. Minato had wanted his son to be seen as a hero, but looking at the situation now it was only a foolish hope. The hokage could not always watch Naruto, so he had to give him the tools to protect himself. He briefly wondered what other surprises the boy would have in store. With everything that happened, it would be stupid to expect nothing else.

The sudden appearance of both Dog and Crow brought Sarutobi out of his thoughts. They stood silently in front of the hokage and waited for him to speak. He just studied them for a few moments. Even though they wore long cloaks and masks, it was quite obvious they were worn out from the night's activities. None of them had done much physically, but it was still exhausting.

"Remove your masks," the hokage ordered tiredly. The two quickly did as told and revealed a tall man with gravity defying silver hair, a blue cloth mask that covered him from neck to over his nose. His leaf headband rested over his forehead just above his eyes. One was black and the other was a sharingan with three tomoe. He was wearing standard ANBU body armor that covered his chest and stomach and was strapped to a back piece matching the one in the front. Arm guards were attached to his forearms and metal backed gloves were pulled over his hands. His wore blue shinobi pants with multiple pockets for storage, bandages wrapped around his calves that led to ninja sandals on his feet. This man was Kakashi Hatake.

The second person was a young teen who had onyx eyes under which were long, pronounced tear-troughs. He had jet-black hair that was pulled back in a low ponytail and his face was framed with centre-parted bangs that extended to his chin. His attire was the same as the man next to him except he wore no bandages on his calves. He was none other than the Uchiha prodigy, Itachi.

Sarutobi turned to look directly at Kakashi and asked, "did anyone see anything?" He feared that Danzo would find out and try to get Naruto for himself. Or someone else saw Naruto and spread the word around the village. Is people found out that Naruto was the one releasing all that chakra then it would cause more problems for him.

"No, hokage-sama. No one was there. I told the other ANBU that you wanted them to return to headquarters. They started to protest, but I reminded them it was an order. Afterward I regrouped with Itachi and helped him deliver the civilians to Inoichi," Kakashi stated.

"And you, Itachi," Hiruzen started. "Did you have any problems with the men or Yamanaka?"

"No, hokage-sama. Everything went as planned," Itachi replied. As usual his face was set in a stoic mask. The teenager very rarely showed any emotion and when he did, it was always brief.

"Good," the hokage replied. "Now we need to discuss what to do about Naruto." He knew what they had to do, but a good leader always listened to suggestions from his/her men.

"Hokage-sama, I know you wanted him to have a normal childhood, but that was always going to be hard. Now we have no choice, but to start Naruto's training," Kakashi responded first with his opinion. Sarutobi was glad their thoughts on the matter were the same.

"And you, Itachi. Are you of a similar mindset. Or do you believe differently," the hokage inquired.

Itachi did not answer immediatly. He took some time to gather his thoughts. On one hand he believed Naruto was too young to start learning to become a shinobi. He didn't even start that young and he had an overbearing father who only accepted the best. On the other hand, Naruto's situation would only get worse if he didn't start training now. Tonight was an example of how bad things could get if he didn't get strong enough to protect himself. "I think that it is not just up to us, hokage-sama. Perhaps we should talk to Naruto in the morning and see what he wants," Itachi replied to the village leader.

Sarutobi took in what Itachi said and had to agree with him. It was necessary for Naruto to learn, but it was up to the boy to choose. Naruto was not yet a ninja of the village and was free to do as he wanted. All the hokage could do was make the offer and hope Naruto accepted. As the village's jinchuriki, he could be forced to train, but Sarutobi would not even consider going down that path.

"I think you're right, Itachi. It is Naruto's decision. Not ours," the hokage said to his subordinate. He sometimes forgot how smart the young shinobi in front of him was. Not only that, but he always kept a clear head. Even when things got hectic.

"If he does agree to begin training then may I have a hand in teaching him," the Uchiha asked. He wanted to guide Naruto down the right path and not let him fall victim to the cursed eyes. Maybe Naruto could even start his own clan of sharingan users one day and lead them differently than the Uchiha's.

"I was already going to ask you and Kakashi to train him. You two are the only ones with the sharingan that have my trust. Itachi, you have access to more knowledge about the dojutsu and Kakashi, you have more experience using it in battle. And both of you are more than qualified to teach him about the various ninja arts," the hokage said. "I may bring in Jiraiya for some help, but that's probably a long way off."

For the next hour or so, they discussed other things, like how Naruto could possibly have the sharingan. Many theories were mentioned. The most common belief was that Naruto had some secret Uchiha ancestor. It was thought that Naruto was just the first in his line to awaken the dojutsu. That perhaps the emotional stress he suffered was enough to activate the sharingan. It was actually believed by most that one could not awaken his or her sharingan as an adult. It had to be done at a young age. Maybe it was easier the younger someone was?

They also talked about the amount of power Naruto had. It was hard to believe and if they hadn't experienced it for themselves then they definitely wouldn't have thought it to be true. Hiruzen thought that Naruto's chakra felt somewhat like Madara's. He'd only been in the presence of the infamous Uchiha once, but it wasn't something he would ever forget. Madara was so commanding Ang intimidating. It sent shivers down his back when he thought of how similar Naruto's was to Madara Uchiha's. The idea of the boy turning out like that made him wish that training Naruto was not necessary. The shinobi nations could not handle a second Madara. Hiruzen would do everything in his power to make sure Naruto carried the will of fire.

The hokage then dismissed the two and went off to bed. It had been a long and tiring day, but it looked like tomorrow would be longer.

**Line Break**

As soon as Naruto fell asleep, he began dreaming about the incident in the alley over and over again. It started with him being locked out of the orphanage. After the matron refused to open the doors, he was forced to find a place to sleep outside. The night was cold and Naruto wanted to find someplace warm so he didn't freeze. He was walking down a random street hoping to maybe find an old blanket or something to help him keep warm when he passed a bar as a group of drunk men were coming out. It was clear they'd had one too many drinks by the way they were stumbling. Some even had bottles still in their hands. When the men saw Naruto, they immediately started to go after him. It was like they all shared the same mind because none of them even said anything, but they moved towards him as one.

Recognizing their hateful looks and realizing they were drunk, Naruto turned to flee. He didn't get far before a bottle hit him in the back of the head and he fell to the ground. Naruto tried to get up and run, but the moment he got to his knees, he was kicked in the ribs and again he fell back to the ground. One of the men grabbed Naruto around the back of his neck and drug him into a nearby alley. It wouldn't do for them to be caught. Even though any who saw them would most likely have turned a blind eye.

From there, Naruto had to watch the beating again and again. Each time it stopped right before the hokage arrived. Naruto now knew he was the cause of the men passing out, but he had no idea how he did it. He remembered feeling an overwhelming hatred toward the drunken civilians.

A part of him wanted nothing more than to see the men who had beaten him, dead at his feet. Who were they to do something like that to him?! He imagined ripping them apart with his bare hands. But it wasn't enough, he wanted to truly destroy them and thought about killing those they loved.

The hatred started to consume Naruto until the another part of him pointed out that he was giving into his fear and that fear was turning into hatred. That if Naruto had sought revenge, he would have been no better than the men who attacked him.

Naruto's hatred battled furiously with his more rational side. They both fought for dominance and tried their best to influence him. It just confused Naruto and made him feel as if he was going crazy. Like he had a split personality. He wanted two things that were completely opposite of each other. Naruto tried his best to tune out his warring thoughts, but to no avail. The internal battle did not stop until the hokage showed up. And then his dream replayed from the beginning.

He had the dream about ten times before it stopped. It changed to Naruto standing inside a huge room with flat stone walls. On the walls were large pipes running through halls that led from the chamber Naruto was in. He was also standing in water that went up past his ankles to his lower calves. There was no ceiling, it just seemed endless. Naruto felt something pulling him deeper. It was coming from the hallway in front of him. He unconsciously began walking toward whatever was causing the pull. The thing that stood out the most to Naruto was that it didn't feel like a dream. Whatever he was experiencing felt real.

The longer Naruto walked, the more he felt compelled to keep going. He suddenly realized what the pull was. It was someone's or something's presence. Wherever he was, he wasn't alone. Naruto forced himself to stop and question whether or not he should continue on or turn back. He didn't remember seeing any doors back from where he came. He didn't even know how he got in the place. Naruto could go back and enter a different hall to try to find an exit, but it would be too easy to get lost. It appeared that his only real option was to press forward and try his luck. Resigning to any fate he met when he reached the end, Naruto started walking again.

It did not take him long ago all. Naruto came out of the hall and walked into a room even bigger than the one in which he started. It was much the same as the first except this room had a gigantic cage. The bars rose all the way to the endlessness above, each wider than an average man. There was enough space between the bars to for a few people to walk through, but the darkness beyond did not look inviting. In the middle, a piece of paper was placed that had the kanji for seal. Naruto suspected that behind it was where the lock to the cage was.

It was clear the pulling that Naruto felt was behind the bars. The power back there was menacing. It reminded Naruto of all the hate he was feeling when the drunken men were beating him. Whatever it was definitely did not seem friendly in any way. Whether or not it was aware of his presence, Naruto had no idea. He certainly hoped that he didn't need to pass the bars to get out.

All of a sudden, a giant crimson eye with a black slit pupil appeared. Then the darkness faded a little to show the form of a huge fox with nine tails. It was the kyuubi. The monster responsible for attacking the Leaf Village four years ago was in front of him. It turned it's head to fully face him and revealed the other eye. The beast was even more intimidating when both eyes were looking at him.

Unaware of what he was doing, Naruto channelled chakra to his eyes and activated his sharingan.

The nine tailed fox recoiled in shock. It had not expected to see those eyes that it hated so much. After recovering from the surprise, the kyuubi roared in outrage.

" **My jailer finally pays me a visit and he has the audacity to show me those cursed eyes!?"** The fox's words just confused Naruto. *Jailer? Cursed eyes? What is it talking about?* Naruto thought confusedly. He had no clue what the fox was talking about.

Working up his courage, Naruto asked,"what do you mean jailer? And what was that about cursed eyes?" If anything, the tailed beast got more enraged. Maybe it didn't like being questioned? Naruto was of the belief that the kyuubi was always angry.

" **I mean, boy,"** the kyuubi began with contempt oozing from his voice, " **that I, the mighty kyuubi am sealed within you. I'm stuck in a pathetic little human."**

*The damn kyuubi is sealed inside me?* Naruto incredulously asked himself. It was all starting to make sense now. The hateful looks. The mistreatment from just about everyone.

This new revelation sparked many new questions from Naruto. Didn't the fourth hokage defeat the fox? Why was it sealed in him? How was it sealed in him? What did this mean for Naruto? This was why people hated him, wasn't it?

For so long Naruto had thought he'd done something wrong. Or perhaps he was just different from the rest of the village. He started to believe that maybe he deserved to be hated. It occurred to Naruto that he might be able to get the villagers to see him differently if he worked hard to prove himself. But now, Naruto wasn't sure how to feel.

The realization that it wasn't his fault and he'd done nothing wrong made the hate he was feeling earlier come back. It cried out for revenge. It wanted him to destroy the village and the people that lived in it.

That was when the more rational side of him popped up and told him that destruction was not the way to go. It told him that he would then give the villagers a real reason to hate him. That he should instead forgive and show them he could be trusted.

Naruto was starting to think he was defined by two halves. Hate and rationality. Although he thought he might need a better name for his rational side. To him it seemed as if that half wanted him to be some paragon of virtue. Perhaps that was a better name for that half, virtue? Naruto decided to ignore both halves for now. They were only distracting him. He wondered if he'd have to live his whole life. With both parts of him at war with each other. It would get tiring fast.

He turned his focus back to the kyuubi and a new thought occurred to him, *does the kyuubi have a name?* It made sense to Naruto. Everyone had a name. People even named their pets. The kyuubi was an animal. A demonic one, but still an animal. Plus it could talk. Shouldn't it have a name?

"Do you have a name," Naruto inquired. The giant fox stopped his death glare and just stared at Naruto. No one had ever asked the kyuubi if it had a name. Not in three thousand years. The only person that knew the nine tailed fox's name was the man who gave it a name. The Sage of Six Paths Haguromo Otsutsuki.

The kyuubi didn't respond. It just kept staring at the blond boy. Naruto was about to ask if the fox knew how to get out until another question popped into his mind, "are you a male or female?"

Still, the fox didn't reply. The staring just continued. To Naruto, the silence was worse than the roaring. At least then he knew what the kyuubi was feeling. When it was quiet, it was disturbing.

Naruto was about to turn around and start searching for an exit, but was stopped when the kyuubi said, " **I'm a male."**

He thought that of all the questions he asked, it was odd that the fox had answered that one. Naruto still hadn't been told what the kyuubi meant about cursed eyes. He was about to ask again, but before he could, he was gone.

**Line Break**

Opening his eyes, the first thing Naruto noticed that he was no longer in the strange room with the kyuubi. Nor was he anywhere he recognized. Naruto was laying in a bed big enough for at least three adults, wrapped in the softest blankets he had ever felt. They were way better than the scratchy ones at the orphanage. His head was resting on a pillow just as comfortable as the blankets.

The room itself was furnished with finely crafted dressers that were made of a dark brown, almost red, wood. Next to the bed was a nightstand made from the same wood as the dressers and of equal quality. The walls were painted a snow white color. The floor was also made out of wood, although it was a really light brown instead of dark. Outside the only window, he could see that the sun was barely peeking over the horizon. It must've been really early in the morning.

If Naruto were to guess, he'd say that he was in a really nice house, but who's? Last he remembered before falling asleep was the hokage picking him up. Did the hokage take Naruto to his own house? This definitely wasn't the orphanage.

He looked down to see whether or not his wounds had completely healed and saw that they did. Naruto wondered how that was possible, was it his own healing ability or something else. His clothes were still bloody and torn, but luckily enough the blood had dried and didn't mess up the blankets.

The moment he started to get out of bed, the door opened and in walked the hokage. He came in carrying some fresh clothes and set them on the bed before greeting Naruto.

"How are you this morning, Naruto," the hokage inquired.

"Fine, I suppose," Naruto replied. Truthfully he was a bit out of sorts. So much was going on and it confused him a little. He didn't know what to make of everything that was happening. Finding out that he had the kyuubi sealed within him, made things even worse.

"I think that you need to be told some things, Naruto. And I also have some questions for you, but first you should shower and get dressed. We can talk over breakfast," the hokage said to him. Naruto just nodded his head in agreement. He really didn't know how else to respond to that. The hokage seemed to know things about Naruto that he didn't even know himself. Maybe the old man could help clarify some of what he learned.

The hokage showed him to a bathroom down the hall and left him there with the clean clothes he'd brought. Naruto quickly took a shower and made sure he was actually clean. After that, he got dressed in the blue sandals, black shinobi pants, the long sleeve blue shirt, and red jacket with black lines around the forearms, that the hokage left for him. He grabbed his worn out clothes and threw them away. There was no way Naruto would wear those again. Naruto made sure he wasn't leaving behind then exited the bathroom and went downstairs.

Finding the kitchen wasn't hard because a delicious aroma floated through the house and Naruto just followed it. When the hokage saw him, he directed Naruto to a seat and handed him a plate full of food. They both ate in silence until Naruto was almost done and the hokage asked, "so Naruto, do you want to tell me what happened before I arrived last night?"

Naruto looked the hokage directly in the eyes. He wasn't sure if the village leader would believe him. Or if he did that he'd take Naruto's side. It was hard for Naruto to believe anyone wanted to actually help. Naruto thought for a second about lying, but dismissed it right away. The man in front of him was an experienced shinobi. He would see through Naruto's lies easily.

"I was out yesterday a little too long. When I tried to back to the orphanage, the door was locked. The matron refused to let me inside. She said it would be an example to the others and I'd know to never be late again. But I know that if it were any other child, the woman would've let them in. She just doesn't like me," Naruto said without emotion.

Hiruzen was appalled at the behavior of someone who was supposed to care for children that needed it. He could tell that Naruto wasn't lying. The boy may not have had any emotion in his voice, but his eyes said it all.

Before the hokage could say anything, Naruto continued his story, "after that, I wondered around searching for a place to keep warm. It had been a few hours and I hadn't found anything. I was walking past a bar just as some men came out. It was obvious they were drunk, so I tried to get away without being noticed, but they saw me immediately and started to chase me. They caught me and took me to the alley where they began beating me. They passed out after a while and I know it was me who caused it, but I don't know how I did. Then you showed up." Naruto was going to tell him about the kyuubi, but decided that he'd only say something if the hokage asked about it. The man most likely knew about the fox. He was the hokage after all. It was his job to know.

The boy's story made Hiruzen quite angry. How could people treat a child that way? Naruto was the kyuubi jinchuriki, but that was no reason for the treatment he'd suffered at the hands of the villagers. Hiruzen thought about what to tell Naruto. He had to tell him about his chakra, but Itachi would let tell him about his sharingan. The Uchiha could better explain it anyway. He'd leave out the kyuubi and Naruto's parents for now. Those two subjects could wait until Naruto was older.

"I'm sorry about what happened Naruto. I wish it hadn't happened, but no one can change the past," the hokage said. "Now, as for how you knocked the men out. Well it was your chakra. Do you know what chakra is?" Naruto shook his head in response. He'd assumed though, that it was how ninja were so powerful.

Hiruzen gave Naruto a quick explanation about chakra. He told Naruto that it was a combination of spiritual and physical energy. With it, people were capable of many extraordinary things like breathing fire, creating illusions to trap enemies, increasing physical strength and so much more.

"Some people have extremely powerful chakra, Naruto. Like you. Your chakra made it feel like an enormous pressure was bearing down on those around you. It's what made the men pass out. They could not handle it," the hokage stated seriously.

Naruto was shocked. His chakra was that strong. Could it get stronger? The hokage's explanation made Naruto want to learn more about chakra and shinobi. He couldn't wait to enter the ninja academy if they taught him how to control his chakra.

His eagerness must've shown on his face because the hokage said, "I'm willing to have some people begin teaching you Naruto, but you have to promise to be responsible with what you learn. That means you can't go showing off your power. And I definitely don't want you to use it to seek revenge. Or I'll stop your training." The hokage's statement brought Naruto down from his excitement. Naruto considered the terms and it was easy to accept. He didn't care for showing off as long as he knew he was strong then it did not matter who else knew. The hatred half of him wanted to take revenge despite the hokage's warning. Naruto pushed down the hate that started to bubble up, he didn't want to ruin his chances to receive training. He looked at the hokage and nodded his head in understanding.

"Good," Hiruzen said. "Now I want you to know that you have to take your training seriously. If you're caught messing around or misusing what you learn, there'll be no more training. Do you understand?" Again, Naruto nodded in reply. He intended to take the training seriously. He wanted to see how strong he could become.

"There will be a shinobi coming over shortly. He will begin your training and I expect you to listen to everything he says. Itachi is one of the Leaf's top shinobi. You and him share a special power, one he'll explain when he gets here," the hokage informed Naruto.

Naruto wanted to start right away. Just the idea of learning about being a ninja had him excited. He wasn't sure what the hokage meant by special power, but he would learn soon enough.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do **Not** own Naruto

Training Begins

After finishing breakfast, Naruto was led outside and to one of the training fields owned by the Sarutobi clan. Once there, he was told to wait for his trainer to arrive before the hokage went back inside. Apparently he was going to wait for his son Akihiko and his son's pregnant wife Hiroko to wake up, so he could inform them about Naruto. When that was done, he'd be off to his office. The hokage told Naruto that he had a lot of work to do or he would have stayed to watch, but it didn't really bother the blond boy. He had decided to trust the old man for now. Had the sandaime wanted to harm Naruto, he could have done so quite easily. Still, he wouldn't trust the man completely. He'd been through too much for that to happen.

When the hokage left, Naruto began to wonder why the old man was helping him. In all of his excitement, he forgot to ask the hokage that question. Was it because Naruto possessed powerful chakra? Or was it something else? Did the old man know about the kyuubi? Since Naruto already decided to trust the hokage, he would not ask. Perhaps he would find out later. The fact was, Naruto was receiving training and unless he felt like they were only trying to fool him, he would keep trusting them.

His thoughts then shifted from the hokage to his training. Naruto could not wait to get started. He wanted to become strong, so the same thing that happened the night before, did not happen again. Both his hatred half and virtue half agreed that he needed to become strong, but for very different reasons. His hatred wanted power to crush those who wronged him. To seek revenge. Naruto's other half sought power to help and protect. To prove himself to the villagers and show them he could be trusted. The two separate thoughts were starting to give him a headache. How could he want to destroy the people of the Hidden Leaf Village and protect them at the same time? Did everyone go through this? Naruto would have asked someone, but it was bad enough already. It would get no better if they thought him crazy.

Naruto's mind was becoming a whirlwind of thoughts. From thinking about training, his mind then moved on to the future. Where would Naruto go from here? It was clear to him now that he would be a shinobi. There was nothing else for him. But was that it? Would being a ninja define his whole life? Would he always be alone? Was it possible that he could mean something to someone? Or was it fate for him to always be hated? The uncertainty frightened him a little. Naruto's life may have been crappy so far, but at least he knew what to expect. Now, he had no idea where his life was heading.

Attempting to clear his mind, Naruto chose to survey his surroundings. Like the rest of Konoha and The Land of Fire, the training ground had more than its fair share of trees. And not a single would be considered small. He momentarily wondered what it was about Hi no Kuni that made trees grow so abundantly. Naruto was only four and didn't really know a whole lot about the world, but everyone knew Konohagakure and the rest of The Land of Fire was famous for all their trees.

Other than the trees, the training ground was mostly covered in grass that was still wet with morning dew and a few spots that were just dirt and loose rocks. A narrow path cut through the towering trees to the clearing from the Sarutobi house. The only light to see by came from the barely risen sun and the eastern side of the field was almost completely dark because the sun was still blocked by the thick trees.

For some reason, something suddenly felt off. Like something had changed. Naruto turned his gaze to the sky and saw that it wasn't the weather. There were no clouds and the wind was quite calm. He then looked around and noticed nothing out of the ordinary, but something still seemed off. It was still a bit dark, so it was possible that Naruto had overlooked something. Whatever it was felt sort of similar to Naruto, but he could not place the feeling. He got the impression that he was being watched or that he was not the only one in the area. Maybe it was someone from the house. Perhaps the hokage had come to check on him before heading to the hokage tower or another Sarutobi clan member decided to meet Naruto. It might even have been the shinobi that was supposed to start Naruto's training.

Just as Naruto thought about the ninja responsible for his training, a young teen dressed in shinobi gear appeared before him. He had on grey chest armor that was strapped at the shoulder to an identical piece on his back, under which he wore a black short sleeved shirt. A katana was attached to his back and its hand grip stuck up over the shinobi's right shoulder. Around his forearms were vambraces that matched the chest armor. On his hands, the teen was wearing fingerless black gloves, each with a metal plate on the back. He had black shinobi pants with a shuriken holster around his waist and a second thinner holster on his left thigh. His ankles were wrapped in white bandages that covered the bottom of his pants and led down to his black ninja sandals.

Naruto switched his focus to the ninja's face and was surprised to see how emotionless the ninja looked. Well, it wasn't completely true that the teen showed no emotion, there was a deep sadness lurking in the depths of his eyes. Naruto guessed that not a whole lot of people noticed because it was so well hidden, but Naruto saw the same eyes every time he looked in a mirror. Except instead of onyx, Naruto's were the color blue. They were the eyes of someone who felt alone. Normally, Naruto would have usually questioned whether or not someone so young could properly train him, but the way the ninja held himself was imposing and he appeared ready to strike at a moment's notice.

"Are you Itachi," Naruto asked. He was told by the hokage earlier, Itachi would be the one training him, so it was only logical that Itachi was the shinobi in front of him.

"I am," the ninja replied simply. He didn't seem to enthusiastic about training Naruto, but that could have just been how the teen reacted to everything.

"You don't seem to like the prospect of training me," Naruto stated to the shinobi.

"On the contrary. I volunteered," Itachi said.

"Really, why," Naruto asked. If Itachi volunteered then it was likely the ninja was just not someone who showed his emotions.

Itachi decided to study the blond boy for a moment and not respond immediately. The first thing he noticed about Naruto was the way he stood. The young boy was obviously excited to learn about the ninja arts, but also seemed prepared to run in case he felt threatened. If you took away the excitement, Naruto would strike you as an experienced shinobi. Itachi loved his village more than anything except for maybe his brother Saskue, but hated that they had treated an innocent boy so harshly.

"A couple reasons, but the only one we need to discuss is that we share the same gift. However, that can wait for later. Right now, you need to start learning to channel and control your chakra," the Uchiha prodigy replied.

Naruto really wanted to know what this gift was, as the hokage had mentioned something during breakfast, but realized even if he knew about the mysterious power, he would not be able to control it yet. He also knew that he'd have to start at the beginning and learn all the basics before he could really test out what he could do with chakra.

"How do I begin," Naruto inquired. His eagerness to learn showed as he completely focused his attention on the shinobi.

Itachi could not stop the small smile that broke through his emotionless mask at Naruto's excitement. It was a wonder that the boy could still occasionally act like a child considering all he'd been through.

"First, you must be able to access your chakra. You accomplished that already. Second, you must learn to focus it," Itachi answered.

The shinobi then bent down and picked up a stray leaf. After inspecting it for a second, he handed it to Naruto.

"Press that leaf to your forehead and focus your chakra into it. When you can keep it there with just your chakra, we can move on," Itachi said. He expected Naruto to get it in no time. The exercise was meant to teach young academy students how to concentrate. It was intended for the average child, and Naruto was by no means average. From all the times he'd kept an eye on Naruto for the hokage and the few moments of talking to the boy, Itachi could tell the blond boy was incredibly smart. He was only four, but Itachi felt like he was talking with a peer.

Putting the leaf to his head and holding it there with his index finger, Naruto began focusing on it. He didn't know what to expect when he let go, but he was disappointed when the leaf fell to the ground. Realizing he hadn't even channelled any chakra, Naruto grabbed the leaf and stuck it to his forehead once more. This time, he took a deep breath and concentrated on the leaf. He imagined it sticking to his head, he saw in his mind's eye, a force pulling it against his skin. Naruto thought about his chakra wrapping around the leaf and not letting it fall. He then felt something rushing through his body and assumed it was his chakra. Naruto turned his focus to the chakra and guided it to his forehead and then to the leaf. He lessened the flow of chakra, Naruto had no idea what would happen if he put too much, but an image of a leaf being blown off his head came to mind. Believing he had done it, Naruto removed his finger. The leaf didn't fall off, but it did slip a little. So he readjusted it and channelled a little bit more chakra into the leaf. This time when he removed his finger, the leaf stayed perfectly still.

Having no idea how long he was supposed to do the exercise, Naruto focused on keeping his chakra stream steady for as long as possible. One thing that really surprised him, the amount of chakra needed seemed incredibly miniscule. He could feel so much more just waiting to be used, but resisted the urge to channel it, as it would have been counterproductive. An idea came to him and he began searching the ground for a second leaf. He wanted to see if he could keep two leaves stuck to his forehead at the same time. Finding one that was completely intact, Naruto bent over carefully, so he didn't drop the one already attached and grabbed the one on the ground. He stuck the second leaf right next to the first and began trying to channel chakra to it. Naruto wanted to do it without breaking the chakra flow to the first, but it was very difficult.

While Naruto was trying to stick a second leaf to his head with chakra, Itachi watched the boy with surprise. He didn't expect the exercise to pose any problems for Naruto and if it had then he thought the boy would struggle with controlling such a small amount of chakra because he possessed so much. What he didn't expect was for the blond to try and make the exercise a lot harder. Attempting to stick two leaves to one's head forced the person to split their focus which was extremely tough. A few minutes later and Itachi noticed Naruto was getting the hang of it. The second leaf was staying put, but the first kept slipping. Naruto must have figured something out or made an adjustment because both leaves were now sticking to his forhead. The boy was just standing there with his eyes closed, focused on the leaves and appeared to be completely closed off to the outside world. Deciding that it was a good teaching moment, Itachi raised his leg and tried to kick Naruto. It came as a shock when the boy brought his arm up and blocked Itachi's leg at the last second. The kick still had enough force to knock Naruto over, but the fact that he reacted before the blow landed was impressive.

Picking himself up off the ground, Naruto glared at Itachi. "What the hell did you kick me for," Naruto demanded. Itachi's kick broke Naruto's focus and made the leaves fall from his forehead. He was angry because keeping both leaves stuck to his head challenged him a lot more than just one and now Naruto had to start over.

"I thought you weren't paying attention to your surroundings," the shinobi replied in his usual blank tone.

Naruto felt a bit sheepish after hearing Itachi's response. He actually wasn't aware of anything but his chakra and the leaves. Naruto had blocked out everything else. But right before Itachi's leg hit him, he felt something shift. Naruto's eyes had been closed, but he sensed something near him. He couldn't quite describe the feeling. Although it did remind him of what he was feeling right before Itachi arrived, only this time it was stronger.

"Well... I wasn't really paying attention. The only reason I got my arm up was because I felt something coming near me and I just reacted," Naruto admitted.

That puzzled Itachi a bit. Shinobi did have better senses than everyone else, but that only came after a few years of training with chakra. Naruto just started today, so how could he have sensed Itachi's leg? The only thing Itachi could think of was that Naruto might be a sensor. A shinobi with the inherent ability to feel the chakra of others. If that were true then it seemed Naruto would never stop surprising him.

"Have you ever had a feeling like that before," Itachi asked. He was trying to confirm whether or not Naruto was a sensor with his question.

"Only once. It was right before you arrived. I got this feeling that something was off and it sort of seemed like I was being watched," Naruto said.

That definitely fit with what Itachi knew of sensors. Naruto had no ninja training and yet he sensed Itachi's presence before the shinobi even arrived. Out of habit, Itachi always suppressed his chakra, and he'd been doing just that on his way to meet Naruto. Only the most experienced of ninja should have sensed him, but Naruto was just now starting his training. That meant, the young boy was a sensor. Naruto was only now discovering his ability because it was just last night that he activated his chakra.

He decided not to say anything to Naruto right now. It was not important to his training yet. Itachi would tell the hokage because it was his duty to report information like this to the village leader and the sandaime could probably find someone to train Naruto in his sensor ability. The talent was rare, but the hokage usually kept shinobi that had unique skills close. Most of those ninja commonly became ANBU.

Instead, Itachi chose to move on to the subject of Naruto's sharingan. "Now that you have learned to channel your chakra, we can move on to what I spoke of earlier. That gift we share," Itachi said. He hoped Naruto did not notice the sudden change of topic.

However, Naruto did notice the subject change, but chose to leave it be. They were moving on to something that he was incredibly curious about. The mysterious special power that both the hokage and Itachi had hinted about. He stayed silent and waited for Itachi to continue.

"I want you to channel chakra to your eyes," Itachi ordered.

Naruto did as asked and gasped in shock at what he saw. Looking at Itachi, Naruto saw the teen's chakra. Or at least what he assumed was Itachi's chakra. It was a light blue that appeared to be calm.

Itachi removed his headband and handed it to Naruto. "Look at your reflection," the shinobi said. When Naruto saw his eyes in the reflection of the headband, he nearly dropped it in surprise. His eyes were now read and each had two black marks resembling commas.

Turning his attention back to his teacher, Naruto noticed that Itachi's eyes were the same as his, only with three commas instead of two. *So this is the gift we share? I wonder what it does?* Naruto thought.

"The sharingan is one of the "Three Great Dojutsu". It has two main powers. First is "The Eye of Insight", with it, the sharingan user can see chakra and determine the source and composition. Though it does not see chakra as well as the byakugan, another of the three great dojutsu. The user is also granted vastly increased clarity of perception, enabling them to read lips or even mimic movements. In a fight, it allows them to see fast moving objects and when it is fully developed like mine, offers some predictive capabilities. They can anticipate an opponent's next move based on the slightest muscle tension in their body and act accordingly to dodge or intercept. They can also read the enemy's hand seals to give them an insight of the performed technique's nature, regardless of the speed of performance," Itachi informed.

Naruto was absolutely shocked. The sharingan was capable of all that? It was simply incredible.

"Someone with a sharingan can also copy almost any jutsu they see. Be it ninjutsu, genjutsu, or taijutsu. But the user needs to have the ability to perform what they copy. So they can not copy kekkei genkai powers they don't have," Itachi continued.

"Second, through eye contact, a user can place their enemy in an illusion, or genjutsu. One can also suggest thoughts and actions to a target, coercing them to divulge information or act in a particular way, potentially without the target's awareness," the black haired ninja finished.

Itachi did leave some things out. Like the ability to basically mind control people. He also didn't mention the mangekyō sharingan. Naruto could be informed of that when he was older. As it was, Naruto looked overwhelmed. Maybe, Itachi should have kept it brief? Realizing that some of what he said, may have gone right over Naruto's head, Itachi explained the sharingan in simpler terms. Naruto was extremely smart, but he'd never started learning about the ninja arts. So, words like kekkei genkai, genjutsu, and ninjutsu probably went in one ear and out the other. After he got Naruto to understand the power of the sharingan, Itachi gave the blond boy a minute to take it all in.

When Naruto looked ready to continue, he decided it was time to really start training. Itachi planned to keep Naruto out here until lunch and in that time he would begin teaching Naruto basic taijutsu. And after lunch they'd return and continue from wherever they left off.

**Line Break**

Entering his house after leaving Naruto to wait for Itachi, Hiruzen went to the kitchen to see if Akihiko and Hiroko were up yet. It was where everyone in the Sarutobi house started their day, so if they were up then that was where they'd be. He didn't want them finding Naruto in the compound and think he was trespassing. Neither had anything against Naruto and his status as a jinchuriki, but letting them know would make things easier for everyone. When he got to the kitchen, it was empty. Hiruzen hoped they didn't take long. He wanted to get to the hokage office early. A lot of work needed to be done and it would be best to start as soon as possible.

While Hiruzen waited for the two to wake up, he thought about all of the things he wanted to change. First thing he needed to do was remind the civilian council that Konoha was a shinobi village. It was true that it was supported by a large number of civilians, but they lived here for the protection provided by the ninja. Shinobi ran the Hidden Leaf Village and that was the way it was going to stay.

Second, he had to started going over all of the laws passed since the death of Minato. Hiruzen hadn't paid as much attention as he should have. He had no doubt that the corrupt civilian council members had passed laws that benefitted only them.

The fact was, there was a lot to do. He wasn't even sure how much of it he could accomplish. What he needed most was a successor. The problem though, he had no idea who could possibly fill the roll. Jiraiya was the best option, but the man ran the largest spy organization in the Elemental Nations and it kept him away from Konoha. He couldn't just abandon it either. His spy ring was way too valuable.

The only other candidate for hokage was Tsunade, but after losing her brother and her lover, she vowed to never return. Hiruzen thought that he might be able to convince her to come back if he offered to let her start up that that organization of highly trained ninja healers. It was something she had suggested during the Second Shinobi War, but at the time, it wasn't something the village could afford. Even if it was a great idea. Now might be the perfect time to start up a such an organization. The village was beginning to do well again and the hokage thought he could fit it into the budget. The training program could be given a trial run and if it was successful, then they would build it up. The hokage only hoped it would be enough to bring her back.

He shook himself from his thoughts when he felt two people coming down the stairs. It appeared that the Akihiko and his wife were finally awake. A minute later and the two walked into the kitchen. They both greeted the hokage and grabbed some of the food that Hiruzen had made for breakfast. Akihiko looked almost exactly like his father only a lot younger and less muscled. The man wasn't a shinobi. He owned and operated a book store. Akihiko was quite fond of learning and loved to read. It was something he hoped to share with his child.

Hiroko was a beautiful woman with long brown hair that fell in waves down her back. Her face was delicate and graceful. The light blue eyes she had were full of kindness and her smile could brighten up the darkest of rooms. Hiroko's usual slim figure was hidden by the maternity clothes and the rather large baby bump. The woman was due in a month and a half.

The hokage talked with them for a few minutes about nothing in particular. He just didn't want to come right out and tell them about their new house guest. It was a lot to dump on someone this early in the morning.

"There is something important I have to tell you," Hiruzen said to them in a very serious tone. Akihiko and Hiroko sat a bit straighter in their chairs. Whenever the Sarutobi clan leader took on that tone, it was time to pay attention.

He told them exactly what happened the night before and what his plans were for Naruto. And he also said that Naruto would be living with them. They honestly didn't know how to react. It was a lot to take in. Neither of them cared that the kyuubi was sealed within the boy. They knew that the fox's attack was no fault of Naruto's, but both were unsure if they could take care of a four year old. With a baby on the way, the two of them didn't know if they could properly take care of both. Akihiko decided to express their concerns to his father.

"I'm not sure we can take care of him and our baby," Akihiko stated.

"You misunderstood. I'm not asking you to take care of Naruto. The boy is intelligent and has been on his own long enough to care for himself. At most, you might have to help him cook his meals. During the day, Naruto will be busy training with either Itachi or Kakashi. So, it will probably seem like he's not even here most of the time," Hiruzen replied to his son.

"Are you sure it's wise to start training him so soon," Hiroko asked.

"It's not really a choice we have. Naruto has large chakra reserves and has somehow awakened the sharingan. He needs to be trained to use his abilities, so they can mature," Hiruzen responded. Then his face took on a darker look,"besides if I hadn't offered to begin his training, someone else would have. And his loyalty to the village would have been questionable." He was referring to Danzo, the war hawk was his number one rival. If the ROOT leader were to get his hands on Naruto, the boy would be loyal to him only. That was how all of those trained by Danzo were. As the hokage, he had a duty to make sure what he ordered the shinobi to do was for the benefit of the village and he had to keep personal matters out of it. Danzo on the other hand, had no qualms about using his ninja for his own gain.

"What about his other studies? Surely the boy needs to learn how to read and write," Akihiko pointed out.

Hiruzen's expression then became sheepish. "I hadn't thought of that," he replied. With everything that happened and all that was on his mind, Hiruzen forgot about Naruto's non-shinobi education.

"Well it looks like we'll have to handle that at least," Akihiko said with a sigh. He actually didn't mind. Especially if Naruto really was as smart as his father said. And if Naruto liked learning about subjects other than the ninja arts, then it could be something Akihiko and him had in common.

"I'll tell Itachi to bring him home earlier, after today," the hokage replied. They talked for a couple more minutes before Hiruzen excused himself and left for his office.

The moment Hiruzen left the compound, he felt two ANBU start following him. He wasn't worried because there was always a couple ANBU guarding him or his home. It was their job to protect the home after all.

Hiruzen arrived at his office quickly and wasted no time getting to work. He immediately sent one of his ANBU to collect records of all laws passed since Minato's death. After that, he wrote a letter addressed to Tsunade, but sent it to Jiraiya because the toad sage was the only one he knew that could find her. When the ANBU returned with the records, Hiruzen made a couple shadow clones and started looking through them. Within two minutes, he found a law that gave those who owned more than one business huge tax deductions. It was a law that benefitted all the civilan council members and no one else. Even though he knew what to expect, it still made furious. Here he was, trying to run a village and all they were doing was lining their pockets. He set it aside for later and got back to looking through the records.

A large pile of corrupt laws later, the hokage was nearly done when his three advisors walked in. Danzo came in first, but was quickly followed by Homura and Koharu. Hiruzen was expecting them. Actually, he expected them earlier. They were here to ask him about the previous night's incident.

"Sarutobi," Danzo greeted in his gruff tone.

"Shimura," Hiruzen replied blankly. "What can I do for you all?"

"We'd like to know what happened yesterday. What caused that oppressive power," Koharu asked. Surprisingly, it didn't come out a command. It looked like she still remembered Hiruzen shutting her down in the council meeting the day before.

The hokage leaned back in his chair and eyed all three of them warily. He hadn't really thought about what to tell them. It wasn't going to be the truth, at least not all of it. Hiruzen wanted to earn Naruto's trust, so he could warn him about the three elders and the boy would believe him. He knew that if Naruto fell under their influence, they'd turn him into nothing more than a weapon. There was absolutely no way he'd let that happen.

"There's not much to tell," Hiruzen began carefully. "It was just someone releasing their chakra."

"Just someone releasing their chakra," Homura stated incredulously. "It was felt throughout the entire village. That kind of power is way beyond average. Whoever it is, needs special training."

"Do you think I don't know any of that? What makes you believe I haven't arranged anything," Hiruzen asked, an edge clear in his voice.

"Well, who is it," Koharu asked impatiently. She believed that whoever it was needed to be trained, not just to be strong, but to be intensely loyal to the village.

"I'll keep that to myself for the time being. I don't want any interference in their training," Hiruzen replied.

"You don't trust us," Danzo inquired. He was actually starting to be impressed by his old friend. Sarutobi was acting more like a hokage than he had in a long time. That didn't mean Danzo had no interest in learning who the person was with that powerful chakra, but he'd let the hokage handle it. However, if Sarutobi messed it up somehow, Danzo would train them himself. Once he found out who it was, of course.

Hiruzen just decided to ignore that question. He didn't trust any of them, not completely at least. All three of them thought they knew what was best and believed they had the right to make decisions for the village. And he knew that at times, they went behind his back to do things.

"Is that all? I have a lot of work to do," Hiruzen asked with a sigh.

"Who do you have training this person you won't tell us about," Homura inquired, just trying to get as much information as he could.

"Kakashi Hatake," Hiruzen said. He wasn't going to tell them about Itachi. It would be too suspicious. Even though the Uchiha was extremely skilled, he was still young. If Hiruzen told them about Itachi, they would assume the person with the powerful chakra had the sharingan. Kakashi on the other hand was known as one of the Leaf's best shinobi. He also had the sharingan, but it wouldn't cause suspicion.

That seemed to satisfy the three elders because they all just nodded their heads in response. They asked a few more questions, fishing for answers, but the hokage denied them. Soon after, the advisors left. He turned his attention back to his work. He'd gone through most of the records, but there was still so much to do and it had only been a couple hours since he left his house. It would be a long day and his days wouldn't get shorter for the foreseeable future. Hiruzen was really getting too old for this.

**Line Break**

On his way to the hokage's office, Itachi jumped from rooftop to rooftop, thinking back to the day he spent training Naruto. It was a major understatement to say he was impressed with the whisker marked boy. Even though he was only using low genin speed against Naruto, it should have been too much for the blond to handle. And it was, at first. During the first couple rounds of sparring, Itachi beat Naruto down easily. Naruto's sharigan kept up with Itachi's speed perfectly, but his body just couldn't. After the first few fights though, the boy's sharingan started predicting Itachi's attacks faster than before and Naruto was finally able to dodge or block. It was like his sharingan was making up for his lack of speed. His eyes still hadn't fully developed, but they'd become stronger. Itachi didn't even know how that was possible. It made him wonder whether or not Naruto's sharigan actually had a limit. If they didn't, then Naruto's sharigan would not be defined by normal rules. Only time would tell, if that were the case.

Around midday, they stopped for lunch and returned to the Sarutobi house. That was when Naruto met Akihiko and Hiroko for the first time. Naruto was nervous and guarded around the two and it was what Itachi expected. However, the boy perked up a bit when Akihiko informed Naruto that he would be teaching the blond how to read and write. It seemed that Naruto's love of learning was not limited to the ninja arts. After lunch, they returned to the training field.

Instead of continuing with taijutsu, Itachi started teaching Naruto the three academy jutsu. Not one of them actually challenged Naruto. He didn't even use his sharingan to copy the jutsu. Naruto learned them the hard way. Itachi was starting to believe that the boy wouldn't find any difficulty in his training until he got to the more advanced subjects, only shinobi ready to become jonin learned. Even then Naruto would more than likely take to it a lot easier than everyone else.

Thinking about Naruto's training, made Itachi wonder not just what the boy would be learning, but who would be teaching him. Itachi himself was quite skilled in genjutsu, ninjutsu, taijutsu, and even kenjutsu. Genjutsu was Itachi's specialty and he was hands down the best in the village. So it made sense that he focused on that when Naruto began recieving other teachers. But until then, Itachi would teach Naruto the basics of everything. Well, him and Kakashi. The two had worked out a system. One day Itachi would be the boy's instructor and the next day, it would be Kakashi.

Eventually, Jiraiya would start training Naruto. But until then it was up to Itachi and Kakashi to teach Naruto. If Itachi was being honest with himself, he didn't think that Jiraiya was the right person to train the blond. The man already had a lot to do. Running a spy organization that spanned the entire Elemental Nations was time consuming. Not to mention that the toad sannin was a huge pervert who peeped on women. That wasn't exactly something someone training a young impressionable boy should spend his time doing. But Jiraiya was the strongest shinobi the Leaf Village had, so it would really benefit Naruto to learn from someone like that. Plus Jiraiya was Naruto's godfather, that gave him the right to train the boy. At the same time though, being Naruto's godfather gave the toad sage the responsibility of looking after the blond. Which he had failed to do for the past four years. In the end, the decision to let Jiraiya train Naruto was not Itachi's. If the man actually trained the boy properly, then Itachi decided he would be fine with it. And if he didn't, Itachi was sure the hokage wouldn't be too happy either. The sandaime would most definitely make his displeasure known to Jiraiya and that was more than enough to keep the man in check.

Tsunade was another shinobi who could have a hand in Naruto's training. The woman was the best ninja medic in the world. She was also the only ninja Itachi knew of that had perfect chakra control. Something he suspected that Naruto also possessed, but didn't have the proof yet. As they had not really done any chakra control exercises, other than the leaf focusing technique. Although, the fact that Naruto completed the three academy jutsu so easily was a bid indicator that the boy had great if not perfect chakra control. Super strength was another thing Tsunade was well known for and something no one else had. The fact was Naruto could learn quite a bit from the woman. The problem was that she refused to return to Konoha. After the death of her brother Nawaki and lover Dan Kato, Tsunade left the village and swore to never come back. These days, she was also a habitual drinker and gambler. Again, not something that a boy as young as Naruto should not experience.

The best teacher for Naruto was the sandaime, at least as far as the shinobi arts went. The only thing the hokage couldn't teach the boy was how to use the sharingan. But the hokage was way too busy to take on a student.

Itachi's musings were cut off as he realized that he was at the hokage tower. He made his way to the secret ANBU entrance and to the hokage's office.

The Hokage and Itachi greeted each other and then the leader of Konoha asked for a report. He was eager to know how well Naruto did.

The young shinobi told the hokage everything he trained the blond boy in. Itachi started with how well Naruto did in learning the leaf concentration exercise. Something that impressed the hokage. Most children hated that and none ever tried to challenge themselves with it. Next, Itachi described his sparring lessons with Naruto and also that he believed the boy's sharingan to have great potential, more so than his own. He briefly told the sandaime about Naruto meeting Akihiko and his wife. There wasn't much to say about that, the hokage already knew Naruto would be wary around strangers. He finished by explaining how the blond easily learned the three academy jutsu even though Itachi hadn't let Naruto use the sharingan.

Although the hokage was proud of Naruto and what the boy accomplished on his first day of training, Hiruzen thought it might have been way too soon for him to start learning ninjutsu. Even if it was only the three academy jutsu, the boy was only four. The sandaime looked directly at Itachi and asked, "don't you think it might be a little early to start teaching Naruto ninjutsu?"

It was a good question and Itachi thought for a moment before answering. The reason Itachi taught Naruto the three basic techniques was because he believed it was necessary. As a jinchuriki and an Uzumaki, the boy was going to have enormous amounts of chakra, which would be difficult to control. Having the kyuubi inside him, (the strongest of the bijuu) only made things harder. Normally students didn't start learning the jutsu until their second to last year in the academy, but Naruto most likely would have had a lot of trouble with it. Because his chakra levels would be so much higher and that much harder to properly control. Although, Itachi suspected Naruto had naturally good, if not perfect, chakra control. He still wanted to make sure the blond didn't have something so simple hampering his shinobi career. And that is what Itachi told the hokage.

Hiruzen contemplated the young shinobi's reasoning and had to agree. It made a lot of sense. If Naruto were to wait and learn the three academy jutsu a few years from now, he may have struggled more than others his age. The hokage was disappointed in himself for not thinking about that. Naruto may not have been able to reach his full potential if he was held back by something so unnecessary. Hiruzen would be the first to admit that the kawarimi no jutsu(replacement technique) was useful for even the most veteran of shinobi, but the other two techniques weren't. Only an inexperienced ninja or an idiot would fall for the bunshin(clone) and henge(transformation). They were both just simple illusions and easy to recognize.

"I understand," the hokage said. "If we were to wait then it might have hindered Naruto."

Itachi just gave a slight nod of his head in reply. "Was there anything else you wanted to talk about, Hokage-sama," Itachi asked the old man.

"Actually, yes there is," the hokage started. "Have you and Kakashi worked out a training plan for Naruto?"

"We have," Itachi responded simply.

"Well...," Hiruzen prompted.

"For now, Kakashi and I will alternate each day. Today was my turn and tomorrow will be Kakashi's," Itachi began. "Besides training Naruto how to use his sharingan, I'll also be teaching him taijutsu, kunai and shurikenjutsu, chakra control and the occasional ninjutsu.

"Kakashi will mostly focus on physical and stealth training. As well as tracking," the Uchiha finished.

The hokage nodded his head in response. It was a lot to put the boy through, but unfortunately, it was necessary.

"You'll have to make some time for Naruto to learn reading and writing. Which will be taken care of by my son, Akihiko," Hiruzen said to Itachi. Hopefully it wouldn't take too long for the boy to grasp the basics. It he learned quickly, then he could focus more on his shinobi training.

"Akihiko informed me this afternoon, sir," Itachi replied.

"Very well," the sandaime said. "Is there anything else? If not, you can have the night off."

Itachi thought about it for a moment and couldn't come up with anything. So he turned around to leave after bowing to his commander, but a sudden idea popped into his head. Looking back at the hokage, the Uchiha suggested, "why don't we teach Naruto calligraphy?" It was something he believed would be incredibly beneficial to the blond. Calligraphy was a skill needed for one to become competent in the art of sealing. As an Uzumaki, Naruto would most likely be talented in that area. And with so few people that studied the art, Konoha could use a potential seal master. Sure, a lot of skilled ninja could make basic seals, but nothing more complicated than explosive tags. It was a shame because seals were capable of so many things. They were hands down the most versatile of the shinobi arts.

The hokage contemplated Itachi's suddestion for a while before answering, "it's a good idea, but Naruto already has a lot on his plate at the moment. Perhaps, after he can read and write well at an exceptional level, Naruto can move on to calligraphy."

Knowing that the hokage was right, Itachi nodded his head in acceptance. Trying to add even more to Naruto's work load and overwhelming the boy would be counterproductive.

Bidding the hokage farewell, Itachi left to return home.

**Line Break**

The moment Naruto's head hit his pillow, he was asleep, but was immediately pulled into his mindscape. This time he was in the chamber that held the nine tailed fox's cage. *Still as welcoming as last time, I see.* Naruto thought dryly. He wondered for a moment, what made this place so wet and dark. Whether it was his mind that did this or the seal. Shaking those thoughts from his head, he walked straight up to the kyuubi's cage and waited for the fox to notice him.

It didn't take long for the nine tailed demon to appear from the darkness from beyond the bars. The fox just stared right Naruto right in the eyes. To the blond boy, kyuubi's gaze didn't seem to be full of hate or malice, it was simply blank. As if he was waiting for Naruto to do or say something first and then the fox would react.

Naruto didn't really know what to say. He still had the same questions as before, but felt it would be useless to ask. If the kyuubi wanted to tell him, then he would. The boy seriously doubted the fox forgot.

"You're not going to answer my question about cursed eyes or tell me your name, are you," Naruto asked even though he already knew the kyuubi wouldn't say anything.

As he expected, the fox did not reply. He just kept staring at Naruto.

The blond was about to turn around and try to leave until a thought occurred to him. He remembered that the fourth hokage was the one to seal the kyuubi in him and the fox mentioning it. Naruto had to wonder if kyuubi knew anything about the deceased kage. So he asked, "can you tell me about the fourth hokage?"

Kyuubi just smirked at him knowingly. Like he knew something big, but wasn't going to share with Naruto.

"Well this was a productive encounter...," Naruto uttered sarcastically before leaving his mindscape.

XxX

 **Author's Notes**

 **First off, I want to apologise for taking so long on the second chapter. I don't really have a good excuse. Other than not really knowing exactly what I wanted to put into this chapter and brainstorming ideas for possible future stories.**

 **Secondly, I want to say that I appreciate those of you who commented and liked my story. As this is the first fanfiction I'm writing, it may seem not very well written. I hope to get better as I continue. I also hope to put out the chapters faster in the future.**

 **Now, about the story itself. Naruto will be very different, as you have probably already realized. Some of the other characters will be quite different as well. Such as Sasuke. Pretty much every Naruto fanfiction I've read, Sasuke was either like he was in the manga/anime or an even bigger jack ass. I want to try something different with him. Make him more friendly and less of a loner. Not a revenge driven asshole.**

 **However, I'm not going to change Sakura. I'm sorry if you are not a fan of bashing characters, but I dislike almost everything about Sakura. Not only is she useless in my opinion, but she is more obnoxious than Naruto. Again sorry if you like her or hate bashing. I'll try to keep it to a minimum.**

 **As for the story itself, Naruto won't be so some super young ANBU. He will probably take a few missions for experience before he becomes a genin, but it'll be off the records, so to speak. The reason for that is because the hokage will want him to make friends his age and to connect him more to the village. It's sort of his way for apologizing for a shitty child hood.**

 **As for possible pairings, I'm undecided. At first I was going to change In a little because I like her even though she can be a bitch sometimes. And I still might. But Mei Terumi is another woman I'm considering. She's not only strong and beautiful, but I believe she will pair well with Naruto in this story. I am open to suggestions. So put them in the comments if you have any.**

 **The next few chapters will be time skips. I want to get to the start of the manga/anime.**

 **Naruto's powers other than the sharingan will include mokuton, since he is the reincarnation of Ashura as well as Indra. He will have three nature elements. Those being earth and water of course. As for the third I'm honestly not one hundred percent sure. I'm trying to decide between fire and lightning. At the moment, I'm leaning more towards lightning, so he can use chidori and its varients, but I also want him to have fire. It's likely that I'll just make it so that he receives a fire affinity when he awakens the Mangekyō.**

 **Again, sorry for taking so long!**

 **PEACE OUT!**


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